Delta Air Lines in Deal for 37 Airbus A321s
April 29 2016 - 7:20AM
Dow Jones News
A day after Delta Air Lines Inc. ordered 75 small jetliners from
Bombardier Inc., the carrier on Friday said it is adding 37 of the
largest single-aisle aircraft made by Airbus Group SE to its
fleet.
Atlanta-based Delta, the No. 2 U.S. carrier by traffic, is in
the midst of an aggressive update of its narrowbody fleet, seeking
to replace about 116 older MD-88 aircraft and other jetliners with
more fuel-efficient new planes. The 37 additional Airbus A321s will
boost Delta's A321 fleet to 82, with total deliveries running
through 2019. Terms weren't disclosed.
Ed Bastian, Delta's president, said Friday that the deal is "an
opportunistic fleet move" because Airbus is nearing the end of
production of the A321, and will be moving next year to a
new-engine version of the aircraft. Delta took delivery of its
first A321 in March and that airplane is slated to make its first
revenue flight on Monday, the company said. A typical A321 can
carry about 185 passengers and fly 4,000 nautical miles.
Delta also operates 126 A320s, a smaller version of the same
aircraft.
On Thursday, Delta became the U.S. launch customer of a new
model, Bombardier's CS100, when it placed firm orders for 75 of the
roughly 100-seat aircraft. At list price, the firm order is valued
at $5.6 billion, although experts believe Delta is getting a steep
discount. Deliveries are slated to begin in 2018. Delta said the
new plane promises to be 20% more fuel efficient than similarly
sized aircraft already in its fleet.
Write to Susan Carey at susan.carey@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 29, 2016 07:05 ET (11:05 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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